This Egyptian walking onion was in the herb garden at Buffalo Niagara Heritage Village. Photo by Connie Oswald Stofko

by Connie Oswald Stofko

Carol Ann Harlos will give a talk on herbs at the 10th annual Lewiston GardenFest, which will be held 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, June 20 and 21, on Center Street in Lewiston.

I asked her to share one tip as a preview.

“Plant Egyptian walking onions,” Harlos said without hesitation.

Why?

“Because they walk through your garden!” she said.

The plants get bulbils or bulblets at the top of the stem, the way a garlic plant does if you don’t cut off the scape. The stem gets top heavy and bends over, she explained. When it touches the ground, it will root.

But the Egyptian walking onion walks through your garden slowly, she assured me. It isn’t invasive. If you don’t want new plants, break off the bulbils before they reach the ground.

The other reason to plant Egyptian walking onions is that they are delicious, Harlos said. The bulbils are like mini-onions and are great in stir fry.

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Speakers

Speakers are scheduled throughout the weekend in the Community Tent in the center of the Lewiston GardenFest. The schedule is:

Saturday

11 a.m. Mark Yadon of Mischler’s Florist and Greenhouses will give a demonstration on fairy and miniature gardens, showcasing miniature landscape design in both pots and garden beds and using slow-growing plants.

2 p.m. Harlos will bring fresh herbs from the June garden and discuss ways to make herbs part of one’s daily life. She is chairperson of Herb Gardeners of the Niagara Frontier, a Master Gardener and a garden writer.

Sunday

11 a.m. Linda O’Connor from Summertime Blooms will offer simple floral designs from your garden in her session titled, “I Bet You Never Thought of That!”

2 p.m. Bob Bracikowski from Opportunities Unlimited will demonstrate techniques on planting and caring for cactus without the “bite.”

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Garden Walk

Photo courtesy Lewiston Garden Club

The Lewiston GardenFest includes a free garden walk, the first of the season for Garden Walk Buffalo Niagara (formerly the National Garden Festival). Pick up a map at one of the hospitality booths during the GardenFest.

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Container garden contest

You can participate in the Container Garden Contest. Take your entry, along with a stand for display, to the hospitality booth located at Fourth and Center Streets by 9 a.m. Saturday, June 20.

Festivalgoers can vote for their favorites throughout the weekend and prizes will be awarded to the top vote-getters.

Representatives from Cornell Cooperative Extension, Bonsai Society, Hosta Society and Daylily Society will also be available throughout the weekend to answer your gardening questions. Cornell Cooperative Extension will provide testing of your soil samples.